Golf ball and method for the manufacture of the same



June 1 0Q J. KUHLKE 1,715,661

GOLF 'BA L AND METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE or TILE :SAME

Filed May 551', 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

l. in lllflllllllllllllliglllllllllll ATTORNEYS.

F THE S E June 1929.

J. KUHLKE May 31, 1928 2 Sheets Sheet Patented June 4,

- ED. TATQSIPATENT] oFfFice.

Y or'ro J. KUfiLKE, or'A mon, 01110. i

some BALI. AND M THOD FORJIHE MANUFACTURE OF THE SAME.

"Application fi1edfllllIay 3L 1928. SeriallNd, 281,845.".

-. vc' lhe present invention relates to thejmanu facture of golf balls and particularlyto-the manufacture of theresilient. rubber core. I .In' the manufacture of the standardgolf 5 ball, the center or core ,oiftheball :is wound.,,

:: with. a threadrubber of high: grade rubber,

the thread being-wound under tension to impart the required lifeand:.re'silientlproperties to the ball. The resilient mass of-rubber thus 7 obtained'is ot'comparati'vely shortliie anddue to themethod of winding, soon los'esits elastic qualities,,a result which may be 0b-,:

servedin cutting a, golf ball, the thread rubber being-limpand lifeless; a

It is the object of the present inventionto devise a new and improvedmethod of wind ing or overlaying the rubber upon the core so as to secure a better and 'more lively con-v struction of the ball; 7 Thisris accomplished bypthe methodillustrated and described although the details-0f the" method are not-es- .sential' and may belvariedwithin: the scope.

of the invention.-

'It. is also an objectlof the invention ole- 2 vise-amachine'forithepurpose of carrying out the method of building the centero-f the 'lhe product of the machine and process'is N a a new formbf golf ball which constitutes a I further aspect of the invention, 1

i Briefly stated, the'inventlon comprises the '.wrapping or windingbf i a tube of rubber about the core" of the center is obtained.

In the drawings,

I V Figure 1 is aigeneral plan viewtof an appa- I 40 ratuseappropriate" for carrying .out' the method of theinventionythe view being a-lon is gitudinalsectionthrough thewinding mechanism andbeing taken at the commencement of. the winding operation;

Figure 2 is a ;view of the mold errolling" Figure 4 is aview showing the initiation of.

the rolling operation;

ball. the tube being stretched tosecure the proper resiliencyv of 5 the. rubber'='and the-winding taking-place aboutthe core in suchaway. that a spherical of themechanism';

of FigureB; and

Figure 1. v i

v The app ratus cem ij ng mom; 1

ingfot substantially the same i inner 'diame-f V te'r as'the core 2 ofthe golf ball and the larger;

end of substantially thes'ame diameteras the; completely wound or ,wrapped centern" Thecore 1s wound with a sheath ort thin, highgrade rubber 3 whichiis in normal of the't'ube or'sheath before stretching pre in wid e limits, and which is'tapered to -sub} stantially the same e xtent as the mold, The" smaller end otthe tube is stretched over the.

coremented about, its edges. .7 a

The tube with the ball therein is then placed in the moldand the larger end of the I l Figure 5 is viewlsh q i g details] l I .,Figure6 is a cross-sectiononthe line 16-6 7. i

5 7 Figure 7 is a sectionton' the line .7."-7 ofv orjunstretched' condition as shown, substantially one-fourth .of; the} diameter and length paratoryto the wrappingjoperationalthough Q Q the percentage-0f stretch'may be-lvariedwitha a nd' fastened 'to the. core bybeing ce tube isstretchedover a capw5 which is later.

,t hev mouthof the tube against the mold. H

inlet pipe Tito the interior of the c ap and to core to the far end of the: mold," thereby giv-r causes the tubeiitobe stretched equally in all dir.ections. Atj- .th1s stage of the operation the smaller end of the mold'is open to perm t-es;

cape of air infront ofgthe core. The-stretched V sheath 'issho'wn' in Figure. 1';

movable plunger 10. which ismounted the:

forwardenclof a push'rodorshaft 11mount-,; 7

ed for I sliding movement in ;a stufiingjbox 12 headis utawa pbnjan'obliq e p a la is r tatab s ree'e pin. 16' el -id; hlsl 'Air underpressure 1s admitted through sufliciently-highto stretch the tube eutwardly; 7 against :the walliof the. mold aIIdJtO dIl-YQ the ing the. required longitudinal stretch, This I In the smaller end of h onthe'e'nd of the-imold. 1 Thelinner'iend-otthei mount ed" ona guide for-lmovement to clamp- 80 1 against the wear plate by a spring 18 a ball raceQO being interposed betweenthe parts 14 and 15. The aperture 21 about the pin 16 is cut away as shown to permit freedom of movement to the head.

To the pusher l are pivoted a pluralityof swinging fingers" 22 the outer ends of which are provided with rollers 23. Six of these [about the entire surface of thecore. For this reason the plunger is rotated as it is moved throughthe mold,while'the-headis non-rota:

itata' blyvmounted'in across head 25, which is J 'supported on guide rod 26 The cross'head is movedby a piston rod 28 movable in'a fluid rollers "are shown, their function beingt to enh-v gage the core 2 and roll it in the mold.- If

the core were-'togbe pushed without changing; its axis of rotation, the tube would roll up on th'e ball in a definite zone. *ltis desirable to change the axis of rotation of the ball con stan'tly during therolling operation in order to distribute the folds in thejac'ket evenly pressure-cylinder3O paralleling the mold and actuatedfby pressure admitted at the ends of I the cylinder through a control valve 32,5from 'a main air tank'34 which also supplies the air ifor-"the inlet 7.1)

.gS'upp'orted in the head 25 is a ram le threaded shaft "36 which is engaged by" a: pin

3701i themoldq The shaft'36 is *gear'edto'the' ""jshaft .11 th ougilr'gearin 38. It will thus be seen that as theicarrier 25 advances,- rotation chamber. This will apply a continuous force to the core in a spiral pathand the directionf V V lator;

7 will] be imparted to the shaft 11;" from "the" threaded'shaft 36 and imermehi'fig gearing.- This Willtend torotatethe head., Dueto theangularsettingof'the head the rotation ofthe plunger 10 will rock the plate; and thus advance the r'o11ers-23 into contact with the core insuccession around the, interior of the ofrotation "of the core will be constantly changed aresult' thereof;

' During the wrapping or rolling which 'cairbe done througha connecting pipe 40; The pressureinthe supply ta'nk is main-x mined uniform through; any'suitable accumu It will testes-ea as the an isre'r c'ea to the larger end offth'e mold: it" will have }built up thereon amultiple series of crossing felds or flutes'j of rubber [under a uniform ten-f sion which gives j'the required elasticity jto theee f ba en r-.1

or sheaththere areno exposed edges of rubberj asfencountered"in the usual thread rubber winding; and ,the rubberi sheath; therefore, canii'otf'frayjor break down at the edges which is the 'cause'of tlie thread rubber losin'g its and a sheath of rubber wrappedthereon,

7 process it: v is'necess'ary to'keep the envelopeor'tube' of rubber at constant I degree of expansion or 1 tension; It may be desirable to' equalize the pressures Lupon o posite sidjes6f*the 'jcor e 'With the tubular jacket elasti'cityand its life and resiliency. After the Winding operation is completed the cap 5 is removed andthe wound ball discharged from the mold. It is then covered and c0mpleted in any Well known or accepted manner. v

The invention may be applied to; other playsphericalobject is required.

Whatis claimed is:' i v c 1. A ball construction comprising'acore,

sheath being formed of a tube'of rubber in of overlapping and'crossing folds. V

2. A ball construction comprising a core;

andgasheath' of rubber Wrapped ab'outthe core, said sheath being composed of 'a single tubular envelo e of thin rubber instretched condition and olded upon itself in a plurality T 1 of overlapping folds which extend around thecor'ein a multiplicity of "planes.- 1

said

ing" balls or Wherever a highly resilient stretched conditionywound'in a multiplicity V A method of manufacturing ballsfcoin j I prising forming a tube of rubber, inserting a" core therein; stretching the tube and rolling; i

the ball up into-the tubeto form the a plurality of-folds over the coref 4': A methodof manufacturingballs,fc0m

prising forming a' tube of rubber, inserting a plurality of folds over the core-1" 5. A method- 0f manufacturing balls; com prising forming a tubeofvrubber5 inserting a. p core therein; stretching the. tube jboth' lo'ngi-f tube core therein; stretching the; tube both l0ngi-" tudinally and transversely; and rolling the;

ball up into the tube toformithe tubelinqa" tudinally and-transversely,"and rolli'n'g'the' ball up into the tube to formthe'tubei in a plurality of folds over the c'ore,' said rolling. 7

operation, being perfo in stretched condition; 'l

core duringthe rolling operation.

tube'of rubber, theftube being-normally 10f smaller.diameter'than-the core stretchingthe V v tubexto a diameter larger than the core, and

rolling thecore'inwardly in the tube. i

' 8. A method of manufaoturing'balls"comprising attaching a core 'within I one end of a tubeof rubber, stretching thetube to conical. form, androlling th'e ball inwardly 'of the" tube while maintaining the tube in's tr'etched c0ndition.. v K

"'9. A'method of form, rolling the ball inwardly: of 'the't'ube manufacturinggballs em- V prisingattachingia corewithin one endo'fa tube'of'rubber, stretching the tube to conical while maintaining the tube in stretchedcom.

dition, andchanging thedirection of rotation of the core during'the rolling operation;

' I 10. A method of manufacturing'balls coma 1,715,661 V y {If 3 prising forming atube of rubber cbnical in tube at its smaller end, .expanding the tube form, cementing a coreto the interior of the both longitudinally and transversely, and 10 tube at its smaller end, expanding the tube rolling the core into the tube by pushing the both longitudinally and transversely, and coreinto the tube, the point. of-flapplicatien 5 rolling the core into the tube. r .of the force to the core changing about the 11. A method of manufacturing'bells com outer surface of the core. t prising forming a tube of rubber conical in I l t form, cementing a'core t0 the interior of the- V w OTTO J. KUHLKE. 

